I bought my first trench on a whim, in a slightly panicked way, the week before a rainy trip to London. I honestly thought I’d wear it once and shove it in the closet. That was six years ago and it is now the single most-worn thing I own.
My sister makes fun of me for owning too many of them (guilty), but I stand by every single one. Different colors, different weights, and each one changes the outfit underneath it completely.
So if you have one hanging in your closet feeling a bit unsure of it, or you are thinking of getting one, here are twenty ways I actually wear mine.
20 Trench Coat Looks I Reach for on Repeat
Khaki Trench With Dark-Wash Jeans
This is the one. If you only take one idea from this entire post, take this khaki trench coat outfit with dark-wash jeans, because it works on literally everyone and every body.
I throw on a simple white tee underneath, dark denim, and a pair of loafers, and I am done. It is the outfit I wear when I have zero brain space to think about clothes but still want to look put together. And it always, always works.
Pink Trench With Chocolate Trousers
Now here is where it gets a little more fun. A soft pink trench coat outfit paired with chocolate brown trousers is such an unexpected combo that people actually stop and ask about it.
Pink and brown together sound like they shouldn’t work but they do, in this warm, slightly retro way. It feels rich. It feels intentional. Add a cream knit underneath and you have something quietly special.
Leather Trench With White Maxi Dress
Okay so a black leather trench coat outfit over a floaty white maxi dress is peak drama in the best way. The hard shine of the leather against the soft, romantic dress is just SO good.
I wore something like this to my friend Dana’s fall birthday dinner and did not stop getting compliments. The contrast does all the work. You barely have to try.
Cream Trench With Black Leggings
Some days you just need leggings. That is not a failure, that is Tuesday. A cream trench coat outfit thrown over black leggings and sneakers is my errand uniform, and I am not even a little embarrassed about it.
The cream keeps it looking fresh and pulled together rather than like you gave up. Which, to be honest, I sometimes have. But the coat knows and it protects my reputation.
Navy Trench With Striped Knit
Navy is criminally underrated as a trench color. Everyone reaches for the classic tan, but a navy blue trench coat outfit has this coastal, sailor-adjacent charm that I adore.
Pair it with a navy and white striped knit and you have leaned all the way into the nautical thing. Do it. Own it. A little red lip finishes it off if you are feeling bold.
Tan Trench With Leopard Midi Skirt
A tan trench coat outfit with a leopard midi skirt is what I wear when I want to feel a bit fancy – the neutral coat calms down the print so it never gets loud.
Leopard reads as a neutral in my house, I will not be taking questions on that. Add a plain black tee and knee boots and off you go.
Khaki Trench With Bermuda Shorts
Shorts and a trench? In the same outfit? Yes, and it is one of my favorite things for those in-between days when the weather cannot make up its mind.
Longer bermuda shorts, a fitted top, the trench open over the top, and some loafers. It gives that slightly off-duty model look without any of the actual effort. My husband thinks it’s odd. He is wrong.
Black Leather Trench With Wide-Leg Jeans
Wide-leg jeans and a black leather trench coat outfit together create this long, easy line that just skims the body. It is comfortable and a little bit cool and requires almost no thought.
I wear a chunky boot with this so the proportions don’t swallow me whole. A tucked-in tee keeps the waist defined so I don’t disappear entirely into fabric.
Cream Trench With Butter Yellow Knit
Butter yellow was everywhere last year and I fell hard for it. Under a cream trench, a soft butter yellow knit is so gentle and pretty, like a latte and a sunrise had a baby.
This is a spring-into-fall kind of look. Tonal, warm, and just a little bit different from all the beige. It makes me happy every time I put it on, which is the point of clothes really.
Pink Trench With Burgundy Accessories
Pink and burgundy is the combination I did not know I needed. The soft pink coat with deep burgundy accessories (a bag, some boots, maybe a scarf) feels grown-up and a bit moody.
It takes the sweetness of pink and gives it some depth. One warm color to ground the softer one and suddenly the outfit has a point of view.
Navy Trench With White Tailoring
When I want to look like I have a very important job (I do not, but the coat doesn’t know that), I do navy over crisp white tailoring. White trousers, a white shirt, the navy trench on top.
It is clean. It is sharp. It photographs beautifully, which is not the reason I wear it but is absolutely a nice bonus. Add gold jewelry and you are basically unstoppable.
Tan Trench With Lace-Trim Skirt
A tan trench softens the sweetness of a lace-trim skirt so the outfit doesn’t tip into costume territory. The rough, practical coat next to the delicate lace is the exact kind of contrast I love.
Slip skirts with a bit of lace peeking out at the hem are everywhere right now. Throw the trench over one, add a fine knit, and you look expensive without spending a fortune.
Khaki Trench With Red Ballet Flats
Sometimes an outfit just needs one small pop and a pair of red ballet flats is my go-to. Under a khaki trench, red shoes give this very Parisian, very “I meant to do that” energy.
Keep everything else neutral so the shoes get to sing. Jeans, a white tee, the coat, and the red flats. It is such a small thing and it changes EVERYTHING.
Leather Trench With Sheer Midi Skirt
A sheer midi skirt is delicate and a little bit fragile, so pairing it with a tough leather trench balances it right out. The soft against the hard, again. I clearly have a type.
I wear opaque tights underneath in the colder months, and a solid slip so the skirt stays modest and comfortable. The whole look feels a bit fashion-editor and I am here for it.
Cream Trench With Tonal Knitwear
Tonal dressing is my lazy-genius move. A cream trench over cream, oatmeal, and ivory knitwear creates this soft, blurry, cozy cloud of an outfit that looks incredibly deliberate.
Nothing matches exactly, they just all live in the same family of colors. And because it’s all so soft, it is honestly one of the most comfortable ways I own to look nice.
Pink Trench With Straight-Leg Denim
Pink can feel a little precious, so I ground it with the most casual thing I own, which is straight-leg denim. A pink coat over regular jeans and a tee is the easiest weekend outfit.
It stops the pink from feeling too much and lets it just be a happy little detail. Sneakers or loafers both work. I usually grab whichever is closest to the door.
Navy Trench With Grey Wide-Leg Trousers
Navy and grey together are so quietly chic that people underestimate them. A navy trench over grey wide-leg trousers is my “I want to look serious but stay comfortable” formula.
It’s soft, it’s a bit menswear-inspired, and it feels like something you’d see on a person walking very confidently through an airport. Which, one day, I hope to be. Add a fine navy knit to keep the whole thing calm.
Tan Trench With Black Column Dress
A sleek black column dress under a tan trench is the outfit I keep for dinners and events where I want minimal effort and maximum impact. The dress does everything. The coat just makes it look considered.
This is also a beautiful trench coat outfit black women I know pull off with so much elegance, the neutral tan against the long dark line of the dress. Add pointed heels and simple gold and go.
Khaki Trench With Chocolate Leather Pants
Chocolate leather pants are one of my more recent obsessions, I will not lie to you. Under a khaki trench they look warm and rich and just a little bit edgy without trying too hard.
Brown on brown-ish is such a lovely fall palette. A cream knit in the middle breaks it up nicely. This is the outfit that makes me feel most like myself lately.
Black Leather Trench With Cobalt Knit
And to finish, a jolt of color. A cobalt blue knit under a black leather trench is the kind of thing that wakes up an entire outfit. So much moody black and then, boom, bright blue.
It is bold, it is fun, and it takes about two seconds to put together. A pop of blue against all that dark leather is genuinely one of my favorite endings to any cold morning.
